1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for monitoring mechanical wear caused by a first component on a second component, wherein the two components are movable relative to one another and wherein the two components are in mechanical contact at least part of the time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In technical applications it happens that two components are moved relative to one another and that one of the components is subjected to gradual wear. Since this wear can advance to such an extent that the entire device becomes defective, it is necessary to monitor the wear in order to be able to carry out repairs at a predetermined wear limit.
A special field of application of the monitoring device according to the invention is bearing wear of marine propellers. The shaft of the marine propellers is guided in a bushing or a guide bearing. Lubrication of the bearing is realized not by means of special lubricants such as oil or grease but, instead, the lubricant is the water surrounding the bearing which, in the case of ocean-going vessels, is salt water. However, this medium is aggressive with regard to the detectors so that the use of conventional methods for monitoring the wear state of the bushing, for example, by employing distance sensors, is not possible in the case of salt water. For this reason, it has not been possible in the past to perform monitoring of wear in such aggressive environments.
In general, the wear monitoring method according to the invention is provided for monitoring the wear state, in particular, in the presence of aggressive media.